


The Beginning of Something A-Mei-Zing!

by Writing_Wings



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Cute, F/M, Gift, Meihem - Freeform, MeixJunkrat, Oneshot, christmas theme, how do you tag this properly ha, junkrat / mei-ling zhou, junkrat x mei, junkrat/mei-ling zhou
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-02
Updated: 2017-10-02
Packaged: 2019-01-08 00:47:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12243870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writing_Wings/pseuds/Writing_Wings
Summary: Mei discovers Junkrat has the ability to sew when she catches Roadhog sporting his Reindeer outfit. Christmas is a month away and Mei finds herself being coaxed into the explosives expert's next sewing project.This is the beginning of something A-Mei-Zing!





	The Beginning of Something A-Mei-Zing!

**Author's Note:**

> **~Title Cover Credits~**
> 
> -Title Cover Edited by Me  
> -Screenshots from Overwatch Cinematics  
> -Galaxy Texture (https://orig00.deviantart.net/aa8a/f/2014/053/e/2/free_space_galaxy_texture_by_lyshastra-d77gh54.jpg)
> 
> This is a late gift for cattdaver (https://cattdaver.tumblr.com/) for the Meihem Secret Valentine Event. Hope you enjoy it, Bella!

The _tap tap_ of Mei’s boots echoed along the hall as she purposefully carried herself to a certain junker’s room. Once again, one of her more valuable flared tip screwdrivers was missing and she had one guess as to who took it. This wasn’t the first time her tools had gone missing. Junkrat was notorious for “nicking”, as he liked to call it, tools and conveniently forgetting to return them. And the rare times he asked to “borrow” a tool, there was no telling when you’d get it back. 

It had been nearly a year since the massive junker and his smaller companion (wait, who was the companion again?) had appeared at Overwatch headquarters in Gibraltar. At the time, the group’s numbers were few and Winston was desperate for some new members. Somehow, word traveled of Overwatch’s return and the junkers got wind of it; sending a little message expressing interest in the mercenary group.

After careful thought and a number of heated discussions, the crew at the time - which consisted of Winston, Tracer, Mei, Genji, Zenyatta and Mercy - decided very begrudgingly to accept the junkers into their group. Like an unusual and unwelcome storm, the two junkers swept in and shook the place up. At first, it was a tough adjustment for the others who were accustomed to a more quiet, peaceful atmosphere. But with Junkrat present, the peace was shattered almost immediately. 

The lanky and quite tall explosives expert loved to talk. _A lot._ And at 8 am, when everyone was waking up after a long mission the day before, it was hard to deal with. Mei remembered losing her cool with Junkrat at least several times as Roadhog snickered behind his mask while she scolded the energetic junker for being too loud and obnoxious at such an early hour and to please for the love of whatever deity he believed in to be quiet!

The door to Junkrat’s room was slightly ajar so she marched right through, hands on hips ready to tear the explosives expert a new one. She took a deep breath, opened her mouth to chastise him only to deflate at the scene she beheld.

Roadhog was sporting a rather interesting costume of green and red. And were those _antlers_?

The two junkers seemed deep in conversation because they paid no mind to Mei’s arrival. Roadie was mumbling in his deep, bassy rumble as Junkrat circled the larger man making comments.

“Nah, not a fan. Gotta adjust this right here. Messed up the stitchin a bit. Nothin I can’t fix but still burns me up.”

“ _Wow._ ” Mei breathed, suddenly, silencing both men in the room as their eyes fixated on her. The smaller woman could feel a slight blush dust her cheeks, feeling slightly embarrassed for some indiscernible reason. 

“Um… well.” Words failed her. Initially, her intent was to lecture Junkrat about thievery and what that all entailed but she was too caught up by how _incredible_ Roadhog looked in his little reindeer outfit. In fact, she thought he looked rather _adorable_ and she never thought in a million years she’d use the word ‘adorable’ in the same sentence as Roadhog’s name; especially when describing how he looked. To be quite frank, she was utterly speechless.

“Earth to snow princess,” Junkrat said, waving a hand not far from her face. _Curse him and his long arms_ , she thought as she was brought back to the present. She felt a twinge of irritation at the pet name ‘snow princess’. It always rubbed her the wrong way, but the more she showed her annoyance, the more Junkrat teased her.

Mei cleared her throat, which felt very scratchy all of a sudden. Glaring at Junkrat momentarily, she tore her steely gaze from him to take a better look at Roadhog standing just off to the side of the bed. It was strange seeing him up close like this in such a cramped space. Three bodies did not fit well in these little bunkers, especially when one of the bodies was pretty massive compared to the average person.

“This is quite the outfit,” Mei remarked as she bent forward to get a better look at the green wristbands. They had bolts of gold embedded in them, most likely spray painted by the looks of it. Mei couldn’t help but admire the craftsmanship and detail that went into the costume. It was very festive, completely fitting for Christmas but also had that Junker aesthetic that was exclusive to the duo. 

“Ehhh… not satisfied yet. Got a few more tweaks and some other stuff to do before it’s done,” Junkrat replied, coming up beside Mei to regard his work with a scrutinizing eye. “See this?” he pointed to the green flaps hanging just under Road’s belly. “Gotta attach some buckles. So, gots lots to do still. But it is comin along okay.” 

“So…,” Mei paused, trying to take in everything she just heard. She replayed Junkrat’s words in her mind. Once. Twice. A third time. Did she really hear him right? “You… _made_ this?” The question was barely above a whisper, but the trio were so close together it was difficult to miss what she had said. 

Roadhog’s belly shook as he grunted out a throaty laugh. Once again, Mei could feel her cheeks flush in embarrassment. She was not a fan of feeling silly or being laughed at. 

“Yea. Made it me self,” Junkrat replied cheerily. Mei was shocked speechless, once again. It never occurred to her that a man like the explosives expert would be able to create an outfit like the one she saw on Road. In fact, she came to the realization that she really knew next to nothing about the junkers and their hobbies or interests.

She took a moment to compose herself, her eyes wandering and taking in the room. Something else she had never really taken the time to do before now despite how often she had come to the junker’s room to berate him about something. Her gaze fell on a lone sewing machine set upon a desktop tucked away in the far corner of the room. The machine was surrounded by scattered materials and various colors of thread.

“So, you sew.” It was a comment, nothing more; a confirmation of something she felt she should have known but never bothered to ask or learn.

“Yea, my mum taught me as a kid. ‘Course she ain’t around to teach me no more but I learnt a good deal, I guess,” Junkrat said with a nonchalant shrug.

“That’s pretty incredible, Junkrat,” she replied in a hushed voice, full of genuine awe.

Junkrat laughed, that typical shrill laugh that Mei had grown pretty familiar with. “S’ain’t a big deal, princess. Just somethin simple.” Although Mei felt a pang of annoyance at the whole _princess_ thing, she couldn’t help but feel a little fond of the usually obnoxious junker. A small smile tugged at her lips, to her great surprise. 

“Now, Junkrat, sewing is no simple task!” she chided gently, the small smile still upon her lips.

“I wouldn’t know. Was taught when I was just an ankle biter.”

“So… I’m assuming that it’s for the Christmas party?” Mei asked curiously, gesturing at Hog. 

Junkrat grinned, a fleck of light reflecting off one of his gold teeth. “You assumed right, missy. Roadie here gonna be all dolled up for this little Christmas rage that we are gonna be havin. Can’t have me best mate showing up without a costume, can I?” He nudged Road in the tummy and got a disapproving grunt that the wiry man ignored.

“Wow, I am just really amazed right now,” Mei replied, still admiring the project.

“Well, you are a- _MEI_ -zing, so’s no surprise there, princess.” Junkrat was suddenly grabbing at his head, jumping up and down in a fit of giggles at his completely ridiculous (in Mei’s opinion) pun. Road joined in with his own deep, rumbling laughter. Mei watched the duo waiting for them to calm down, her lips in a stiff line. Junkrat’s hysterical giggling subsided to him merely blurting out little hiccups of laughter, tears streaming down his cheeks. Mei rolled her eyes with an annoyed huff.

Junkrat wiped at his face, still grinning wildly, before finally speaking. “Anyways, the Christmas shindig ain’t for a few weeks. I can cook up somethin for you too, if ya want.” The abrupt suggestion threw Mei for a loop and she felt her hands flail awkwardly as her lips wordlessly moved in an attempt to respond.

Once again, she was shocked into silence and had to compose herself with a rather loud cough into her hand. “Oh my god, NO!” Her voice was louder than she had intended, and the blush was turning her cheeks rosy for the third time that day! Junkrat frowned slightly, his head tilting in mild confusion. “I just couldn’t possible ask for that, Junkrat!” The idea of having Junkrat make her a costume for the party made her feel bad. For several reasons. 

Mei had a nasty, and rather understandable habit, of talking shit about Junkrat and Roadhog behind their backs. Most of her gossip and negative comments about the duo centered around Junkrat, though, whom she especially disliked. The man was pretty relentless when it came to teasing her (and everyone for that matter but Mei refused to admit that). Everyone was pretty used to Junkrat’s antics, though, but Mei was dead set on her feelings toward the junker. Every time he did something particularly annoying she’d shout “you’re nothing but a no-good bully” before storming off in the opposite direction. Usually that was met with a little moan from Junkrat in the distance as he watched her retreating frame. But as soon as she was out of sight, she could hear him sniggering rather loudly.

“Ain’t no problem for me, princess. I can get it done like a rat up a drainpipe! Other projects are on hold anyways. So no skin off my back.”

“But… I’d feel _terrible_.” Mei explained, a pained expression on her delicate features.

“Why? Ain’t a big deal. I like sewing and creative shit like that,” Junkrat explained, his toothy smile spread along his lips.

Reluctantly, Mei found herself agreeing to the costume idea after a bit of persistent convincing. The concept was quite simple. Junkrat planned to make a Christmas version of her current usual attire that she wore on most missions. The major difference, however, was that the fabric would be more breathable and lighter since they would be indoors for the majority of the party. So, there wasn’t really any need to make something as extra fluffy as her heavy coat. 

* * *

Mei was pretty excited if she was honest. Her entire opinion of Junkrat quite literally changed overnight. She found herself making various, elaborate excuses to go visit him in his room while he worked. Always, she settled herself down on his bed as he worked away at his desk. One evening, she entered his room with ice cream in tow.

“Bit chilly for that, ain’t it?” the man commented before taking the proffered bowl of mint chocolate chip, filled to the brim of course with lots of whipped cream and a few cherries. It wasn’t his favorite flavor, but he wasn’t gonna complain about free ice cream.

“I suppose so, but I like ice cream all year round,” Mei responded, settling herself down in her usual spot on his bed, propped up by pillows. 

“Nothin wrong with that, princess. Ain’t complainin. Just sayin.” The junker replied with a grin before scooping up a large spoonful and began to carefully devour his free ice cream. He was seated at his desk but had turned his chair enough to face Mei on the bed behind him

“So, how’s it coming along, Junkrat?” Mei asked between mouthfuls. Mint chocolate chip wasn’t her favorite either, but it would do in a pinch!

“It’s looking pretty grouse, if I do say so myself,” Junkrat said with a smug smirk to which Mei couldn’t help but laugh. 

“So, I’m assuming that is a good thing, right?”

“Course it does!” Junkrat replied with gusto.

“You’re quite the funny man, Junkrat,” she replied with a tiny smile as she scooped up more ice cream to consume.

“Took you till now to notice?!” The man looked taken aback and Mei let out a peal of laughter.

“I apologize for not noticing sooner!” she said between gasps, her eyes watering slightly.

“Ya better be sorry!” Junkrat grinned, the infectious kind that Mei imitated in return. “So, what brings you to my humble abode?”

Mei felt slightly self-conscious. She placed her bowl onto the bed and took to fiddling with her long sleeve nightshirt. “Just checking up on you, making sure you’re not working too hard. Also,” she gestured at the ice cream, “I thought you could use a snack!”

“Why thank you, snow princess! Always nice ter be thought of.” Mei could feel her cheeks burn. It was happening far more regularly than she wanted to admit, particularly around the explosives expert recently.

“Anytime, Junkrat. Anyways, when did your mom start showing you how to sew?” Changing the subject seemed to be the only method to stop the blushing. Diverting attention from herself was always the best course of action. 

“Oh… well. Hmm… Guess I was maybe four or five? At first, they was little projects, ya know? Learned simple stitching. By hand of course.  She didn’t want me anywhere near the machine. I had a bad habit of tinkerin with things I wasn’t supposed to, so’s she’d get real mad.”

“Why am I not surprised?” Mei quipped.

“Oi! Whatcha mean by that, princess?” Mei giggled in reply, amused by Junkrat’s feigned indignation.

“Really, though, that’s pretty neat that your mom taught you how to sew. Especially at such a young age, at that!”

The junker shrugged in reply. “Yea. I miss my mum, to be frank. She was a good woman. Probably best she passed, though, when she did. ‘Stralia turned into a fucking huge pile o’ shit after most of the country blew up! Fucking Omnics…” Junkrat muttered the last part with a grim expression.

“What?! I honestly don’t know many of the details of the incident… that sounds… terrible.” Mei’s voice fell to a hushed murmur of surprise.

“Ya. Big ass explosion. Was an accident. But I blame the Omnics. If those metal pieces of trash never existed, pretty sure it woulda never happened. Bloody dipsticks, the whole lot of ‘em! The incident…” Junkrat paused. He clenched his fist around the spoon, knuckles turning white. “It was bad… awful. Cost me my arm and leg.” 

A clenching force began to entangle around Mei’s heart as she heard the words Junkrat spoke. “I am so very sorry to hear that…” she faltered, searching for the right words to say next. This had become an intense discussion she did not anticipate on having. “Please, if you do not want to talk about this anymore, we can change the topic if you’d like.” She suggested gently.

“Nah. I ain’t some wuss who sugar coats things. I don’t ignore shit that happened. I ain’t soft like some people. I ain’t weak.” Junkrat’s tone became dark as he continued to clench and unclench his fist. Without a thought, Mei quickly slid off the bed, and made her way to Junkrat’s side.

Tentatively, she placed a reassuring hand on his metallic one. She gave it a small squeeze, hoping he had the thing wired enough to have some feeling. “I never said you were weak, Junkrat. You’re made of sterner stuff and I see it more and more every day.” Her voice was full of admiration. The man peered up at her, suddenly going lax once he realized she had her hand upon his own.

“When the explosion went off,” he began, “mum was making dinner. I was just sittin in the livng room, makin one of my little projects. Can’t remember what. But mum called me over, saying dinner was ready. I got up and started making my way to the kitchen and BAM!” His free hand slammed down on the desk for effect causing Mei to jump slightly at the loud noise. Junkrat glanced at her, giving a slightly apologetic look before continuing his story. “I crashed into the wall and clonked out right on impact. Mum died pretty much instantly… Me, though… I was trapped under the rubble and shit. Arms and legs were completely numb. Sorta. Like it’s kinda fuzzy. Anyways, took ‘em days to find me and dig me out. When I woke up, my arm and leg were gone.” The junker gestured at his missing limbs. “Clean cut, cauterized. I was barely under when they did it. The infection was bad. There were metal rods all suck into my arm and leg. If the docs didn’t get rid of them, I woulda died. Plus, the radiation poisoning. Don’t get me started on that. Yea, well now you know why I hate those scrap metal drongos.”

The story was quite a lot to take in and gave Mei a different look at Junkrat’s life, but it caused her a bit of grief too. She was overcome with sadness and compassion. She had lost people too, but not like that. And she sure as hell didn’t lose any limbs. Their situations were vastly different, and she really had no right to compare them, but the thought of waking up to more than missing people but limbs too had to be traumatizing in some way.

“Welp, sorry I got all weird and told you me life’s story. Ain’t nothin nice ‘bout it to be quite honest. Nothin but sufferin and shit like that.” He ran his free hand through his untidy locks, letting out one of his signature maniacal laughs. It sounded wrong to Mei. She was used to his laughter and this was definitely not a free-flowing laugh. It did not come from the heart but was forced as a means to cover up the hurt that probably plagued him on a daily basis. But he never spoke of it. For the first time in a year, she saw a side of Junkrat that she was sure very few people had the privilege of seeing. 

“Please, Junkrat. Don’t be sorry…” she patted his hand.

“Jamison.”

“ _Jamison_?”

“The name me mum gave me. Jamison. Just call me that, princess.” The man replied with a half-smile.

“Of course, Jamison. It is quite a lovely name.” And it truly was. She had not expected something so sophisticated to be his birth name.

“Ain’t it, though? Too good for a bloke like me. Ain’t worthy of somethin that fancy. I ain’t who I was back then. Changed too much.” The junker bowed his head, as if lamenting the distant past. Mei was quite certain that was exactly what that somber look was. And it sure pained her to see the man look so down. She wasn’t very accustomed to seeing this… to seeing _Jamison_ in this way. Yet, there was something tragically beautiful about how vulnerable he looked in this moment. For a fleeting moment, she was drawn to how handsome his face looked. The thought took her by surprise, jolting her mind. She withdrew her hand, suddenly, as if burned by an invisible flame. 

“I’m such a mess,” Junkrat sighed suddenly, pulling his fingers of his organic hand through his unruly hair again. Mei gave him a curious but sympathetic look. “I ain’t embarrassed or nothin by it but the doc and Hog are up my ass and shit. Callin me _mad._ Got a touch of that little thing people like to call insanity.” He explained with a rueful grin. Mei could sense they were about to broach an entirely different and just as tough topic as the one they had just discussed.

“Can you give me more details, please? So that I may understand you better.” Curiosity and compassion overwhelmed the small woman. She wanted so badly to know more about… _Jamison_. The drive to find out as much about him as possible overcame her and she was asking a question she was not quite sure she had the capacity to deal with at that moment.

“I ain’t right in my head, Snowy.” He tapped a metal finger on his noggin for effect. Mei frowned, not wanting to fully grasp the words he was saying. Agreeing that there was a possibility he was mentally unstable felt so wrong to Mei. And okay, so what if he was? Did that really make him a bad guy? A myriad of angry retorts and past judgements flooded her thoughts as guilt slowly gnawed away at her. Everything she had thought was on the basis of how insane she thought he was; how utterly out of his mind he seemed. Yet, here was a man that had gone through so much hardship and it took her nearly a year to find out how awful things really were for him.

She had every opportunity in the world to dig through his file. But the moment she laid eyes on his photograph, the moment he opened his mouth she had already labeled him as a mental case, a complete lunatic. And the shame that came along with these thoughts felt almost too much to bear.

“I ain’t sensitive, ya know. I’m all crazy. Yadda, yadda. Hog yelled at me a lot back in ‘Stralia. Always nagging me like he was my cook! Um… er… wife,” Junkrat explained at Mei’s mildly confused expression. “He was always telling me I put myself in danger too much. Sayin he’s a bodyguard and I made his job way harder.”

That didn’t really surprise Mei. She had witnessed Junkrat on missions countless times and most of those times involved him doing something extremely reckless. Occasionally, she witnessed Roadhog’s pained expression through the thick lenses of his mask as he tried in vain to get his charge to stop doing stupid things like launching himself 20 feet into the air to spam bombs on the enemies below. Once or twice he was nearly sniped out of the air. Thankfully, the snipers were not Widowmaker because he certainly would have been dead by now.

Mei wasn’t quite sure what to say, so she gave a curt nod and a knowing expression.

“Yea, the doc got me on these meds. Doin’ me real good. Getting injections too to help with my fucked up skin. This ain’t all dirt, princess.” Junkrat took a relatively clean finger and rubbed at a patch of skin on his upper bicep really hard, which had zero effect.

“Wow. Some of your skin is nearly black!”

“Yep.” The junker nodded. “I mean some of it is dirt but mostly it is just radiation poisoning. Did a number to my skin. My freckles all changed this weird dark color. I spent too much time in that radiation all them years in the Outback. I stopped caring about shit, honestly. Spent a year or more workin on prosthetics so I could walk again,” he explained. “I probably ingested radioactive stuff too, as the pretty doc said. She said the poison done messed up my brain chemistry or something complicated like that. Her words make no sense to me. Anyways, that angel has somethin in the works for me to maybe get these bald spots fixed.” He pointed at said bald spots for effect. “Doubt she’ll be able to but it’s somethin to look forward to, right?”

Junkrat seemed to deflate which was none too surprising. The man had pretty much poured out his heart and soul in the last hour or so. All that talking would leave anyone taxed. And Mei was pretty exhausted too by everything that was shared.

She could only respond with a small _wow_ , her mouth slightly agape. The shock slowly wore away and a pang of incredible sadness settled in the pit of her stomach. The distant memory of her own loss made her chest feel like it was twisting. Overcome with emotion, she shuffled closer to Junkrat who had turned back to face the sewing machine on his desk. His bowl sat beside him as he continued his work. Mei took slow, tentative steps before biting back the slight anxiety that was beginning to take hold of her. The man glanced over as she drew closer. Just as he opened his mouth to say something, Mei had wrapped her arms around his shoulders and settled her chin on his messy blonde hair. 

Junkrat stiffened, completely taken aback by Mei’s sudden closeness. When was the last time he was hugged by a woman? He was pretty sure it was just before Australia was turned into a wasteland and that woman was his mother. Since that incident, his obsession with fixing his limbs and explosions made it impossible for him to even think about women. 

“You’re so strong, Jamison.” The way she said his name in that sweet voice of hers sent a little shiver through his body. He allowed his head to settle into embrace, enjoying the warmth she radiated. This was nice. Mei was nice. And soft. A stray tear slid down his cheek but no more than that came. Junkrat didn’t even think he really had the ability to cry any more but that one lone tear was proof of the humanity he thought had died long ago. Mei was something special, he was sure of it.

* * *

The Christmas party was just around the corner and Junkrat had come to the terrible realization that he didn’t want the party to happen at all. The event itself signified the end of Junkrat’s project… and quite possibly his time with Mei. He worried that once the party was over, Mei would return to ignoring him and resume calling him names behind his back. The dread slowly began to eat at him as they drew closer to the day of the party.

It was a few days before the big event. Mei was seated on the floor of Junkrat’s small room, fiddling with Snowball in an attempt to get the little robot to make a snowman.

“I know, I know. Just stay still for a sec, Snowball!” Mei chided the little robot in her hands with a small smile. Junkrat had trouble not glancing over from his spot at his desk as she worked away. Progress was slow, but Mei was enjoying Junkrat’s company and Junkrat felt similarly. But he felt the pull of his heart at the thought of it all coming to an end very soon. _Fuck_ , he lamented internally.

“So… uh, Mei,” he said slowly. Mei looked up from her own project giving him her undivided attention.

“Yes, Jamison?” she said sweetly.

 _Fuck,_ he thought again, this time with more fondness. Mei really was pretty and that was getting a little distracting for the explosives expert. He steeled himself, trying to push down the rising feeling in his chest. It was a foreign feeling that made him tingle and want to scratch at his heart even though hearts shouldn’t feel itchy, right?

“What are your plans after this big Christmas shebang?” he asked as nonchalantly as his voice would allow, trying to keep it steady. It was no simple task given the tightening in his chest as he waited for her reply.

“What do you mean?” she tilted her head to the side, a strand of hair falling across her face. She hastily brushed it aside.

“Well, we’ve all been working on this party for weeks, right? Like a lot of other stuff has kind of been left alone. I mean we are all going back to work, right? That means I won’t see you ‘round much, right?” Junkrat found himself fiddling with one of the patches on his shorts, trying desperately not to jump up and pace the room. If he did that, chances are he’d rip out what little hair he had left since it was one of his nasty habits he had developed when he was feeling particularly stressed out.

Mei stayed silent as she thought about what he had said. She kind of forgot about all the responsibilities that were waiting for her after Christmas. “I mean… why would I not see you around? Are you gonna stay holed up in your room or something?”

“Course not! I’m just worried you might…” he gestured awkwardly at nothing in particular. “…I don’t know. Avoid me,” his last words were hushed, barely audible.

Mei gave him an incredulous look before smoothing her features into something more sympathetic. His worries were definitely not unfounded. Mei was pretty much terrible to him when he first came to Overwatch up until very recently. In her opinion, he joked far too much for her liking and she had pegged him as a bully because of it. Obviously, her opinion had changed, but it was only a few weeks ago that this happened. And here he was, sewing a full costume for her, chatting her up like any old friend would. Honestly, she wanted to stick around him more… especially after the big Christmas party.

“I won’t avoid you, Jamison,” she said with conviction, her face set in a stern determined pout. The man openly sighed, his entire body sagging as if melting into a puddle on his chair. Mei couldn’t help but giggle a little at his antics even though she was certain he was just as anxious about the possibility of the two not spending time together after the Christmas party. Still, she needed to laugh to help release some of her own built up tension.

“You better not avoid me either, mister!” she suddenly shouted, but a teasing grin was upon her lips.

“Ain’t gotta worry your pretty little head ‘bout that, missy. I ain’t goin’ nowhere soon,” he responded with one of his award winning toothy smiles and Mei could feel herself sigh with relief. She coughed in her hand to hide it, but Junkrat had already turned around to keep working on her costume.

* * *

 

It was only a few nights before the big Overwatch Christmas party when Junkrat hopped up from his spot at his desk, twirling around the room with Mei’s costume haphazardly draped over his prosthetic arm.

“Alrighty, Snowy, time to try on this outfit!” He announced. Mei glanced up from her the book she was reading, seated against the wall atop Junkrat’s bed. Her giggles filled the room as Junkrat continued to dance around the room. She had grown very fond of his little energetic outbursts. They no longer irritated her but were a great source of joy and amusement as of late.

“Oh alright, Jamison,” she responded breathlessly after a lengthy fit of giggles. Junkrat only replied with his toothy grin before gently placing the outfit at her feet on the bed. He then hobbled out of the room, the door closed behind him with a light click. Mei looked down at the costume. The jacket lay atop the pants and was a little wrinkled, but she knew as soon as she put it on, the fabric would look far smoother.

She slid off the bed and began to remove her pajama bottoms, then shrugged on the jacket first over her thin sweater. It fit absolutely perfectly and Mei couldn’t help but be in awe at how it clung to her curvy frame. She knew that Junkrat probably wanted to be sure the size was right a few days before the actual event so that he could make adjustments in case it was too small or too big, but it was fine as is.

Next, she pulled on the pants, and once again they fit perfectly. The material had a little give because they were similar to her leggings she typically wore with her every day attire. Once again, she was amazed because she knew he struggled finding the right material that would have some give as well in the right color; which happened to be a rich green. The material felt silky and cool against her skin.

“You’re incredible,” she mouthed to herself, continuing to admire the craftsmanship. In retrospect, it wasn’t anything super fancy or intricate. But the fact that Junkrat had taken time and energy to craft the thing by hand from scratch was enough to make Mei smile. The white fluff lining the edges of her coat felt plush and soft in her fingers making her heart jump in her chest.

“You ready?!” came a muffled shout from the other side of the door which jolted her out of her reverie.

“Ah! Y-yes! Come in!” she called back, her face flushing slightly feeling like the kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

Junkrat burst through the door a millisecond later his chest puffed out as he mock-marched over to her despite his awkward peg legged gait. Mei’s cheeks burned more and she fought the urge to laugh at his showy walk. Junkrat stopped just a few inches from her before bending forward to examine his work. He ran long fingers across his chin as he made little mental notes, mumbling to himself as he did so.

“Hmm. Turned out pretty good. Not too shabby,” were his final remarks as he straightened himself up. Mei’s mouth fell open. _Pretty good?_!

“It’s beautiful!” she blurted out. Junkrat’s cheeks immediately went pink. He shuffled awkwardly in his spot, looking down at the floor.

“Nah. Me mum could do better.” The words were barely audible, but the two were close enough for Mei to hear what he said.

“But _you_ did it, Jamison,” Mei said earnestly as she took his hands in her own, giving them a firm squeeze. Junkrat’s body was stiff but Mei could see his shoulders visibly sag, showing signs of some semblance of calm coming over him. She had not intended to make him so embarrassed but felt a little self-satisfaction when she saw how sheepish he had become with such a simple compliment. Fleetingly, she had wondered if nobody had ever paid him compliments up until this moment. And if anyone did compliment him, how long ago was it?

Junkrat swallowed then cleared his throat rather loudly before giving Mei’s hands a quick squeeze back. “You… look… _nice_ , Snow.”

If Mei had thought Junkrat was embarrassed, she was certainly far redder than he was just moments ago. “Uh…” Words failed her as she pulled her hands from his to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “Th-thank you.” It was all she could manage to stutter out before bolting for the door. Things were becoming intense and she had not expected it to develop like this. Mei needed a moment, so she raced through the empty halls to her room where she locked herself inside completely breathless. What was becoming of her and Junkrat?

* * *

The day of the party had arrived and Mei felt completely unprepared for it. She and Junkrat had little contact with each other since she had run out of the room a couple days previous except when she gave back the costume because she had run out of the room with it still on her body.

Despite the limited social interaction, Junkrat still seemed chipper and unaffected which lifted a weight off Mei’s shoulders. She wasn’t quite ready to discuss… _things_. It was best to leave that stuff until after the party and she was glad to see that Junkrat was on the same wavelength.

So, when she had arrived at his room only an hour before the party was to begin, he greeted her with a warm smile. Then, he thrust a balled up red and green thing with white fluff attached in her hands.

“Sorry it was so last minute! But here’s yer hat, Snowy,” Junkrat explained. Mei nodded her thanks before taking the rest of the outfit in hand to wander to the communal bathroom down the hall. 

She chose to change in the shower stall since it was more roomy. The hat was the last thing to go on, so she donned it in front of the mirror to adjust it accordingly. Satisfied that most of her hair was tucked away neatly under the hat with bits of bangs sticking out, she walked out of the bathroom back to Junkrat’s room.

“Where’s your costume?” she asked since he did not really look that much different than his usual attire.

“Right here,” Junkrat gestured at his body. Roadhog had chosen that moment to enter the room as well with a low grunt.

“But… you’re just wearing antlers and green suspenders with some red shorts…” Mei replied.

“Good enough for me,” Junkrat said with a little grin. Roadhog guffawed in that low bassy voice of his. Mei merely rolled her eyes before making her way to the door. It was time to head to the party. But first she had to pick up Snowball from her room.

“Hey, I’ll meet you guys down there, okay? Just gotta get Snowball,” she said before leaving the two behind with a small wave.

The trek to the room was a silent one, but a nice one. Mei always enjoyed a little bit of solitude on some level. When she finally arrived at the mess hall where the party was being held, she heard loud coos and awes from a very energetic Tracer. 

“Oh my goodness, Roadhog, you look _fantastic!_ ” The woman shouted, completely enthralled by the bigger man’s costume. “Where’d you get it?” she asked while darting around the circumference of his body to take in every detail. 

The rest of the Overwatch gang had been slowly crowding around Roadie as well, taking in the costume and admiring the details. He even had a Christmas themed weapon that happened to have a little tag that on it reading _from Junkrat_.

“Junkrat made it!” Mei said loudly, voice full of pride, as she made her way over to the small gathering. The man in question shuffled awkwardly beside his larger companion; his peg leg kicking at an invisible pebble.

“Ain’t nothin special,” he said in an uncharacteristically soft voice while attempting to hide his reddening face behind his prosthetic arm.

“He made mine too,” Mei announced, disregarding Junkrat’s apparent discomfort and embarrassment.

“Wow!” D.va shouted in her singsong voice before darting over to Mei. Her eyes took in every detail before giving a big smile and thumbs up.

The group spent the next ten minutes or so fawning over the magnificently crafted costumes. Each member of Overwatch gave their individual approval with smiles, pats on the back and even hugs much to the spritely Junker’s surprise.

Hours passed and the party was still going strong until the early hours of morning. By 3 am, Mei and Junkrat had enough fun for the day. The two were walking together in the direction of Junkrat’s room, their usual hangout spot.

“Wow, Jamison! Just, wow!” Mei exclaimed with a little squeak, her body vibrating as she threw her arms up in the air.

“You seem happy with how things turned out,” Junkrat commented with a jovial laugh.

“I am just happy your costume won the competition! But we all knew Roadhog would win. His was just so perfect!” Mei gushed, her eyes glistening at the memory.

Junkrat scratched his cheek, a frown etched along his features. “I honestly wish yers had won, Snowy,” he lamented slightly, his frown deepening.

Mei stopped dead in her tracks, placing hands on her hips before jutting out her jaw to look at the man about a foot taller than herself, although he looked far shorter due to his terrible posture.

“You are crazy, Jamison! Roadhog’s was spectacular,” she said, eyes alight with fire. Junkrat looked slightly uncomfortable at how stern Mei had become but tried his best to hide his surprise.

“If I had more time… I woulda made yers better, ya know,” he replied evenly, doing his best to meet Mei’s steely gaze. This woman was an unexpected spitfire.

Mei’s gaze softened then. “Oh hush, you silly man! I _love_ my costume! I will wear it next year.” She said in that wonderfully warm tone that Junkrat had come to admire. “Maybe we can add more!” She suggested excitedly. “But… I am really happy with the finished product as is.” The last bit she added more quietly, a hint of a blush forming along her round cheeks.

“I’ll make ya somethin’ better!” Junkrat replied earnestly, his eyes alight at the thought of future creations. He had straightened to his full height which was a shock to Mei. She honestly forgot how tall the man truly was and it was pretty jaw dropping. Her eyes lingered on his abdomen for a moment longer than she had intended. He was absolutely lean with defined abs. How had she not noticed this before? She tore her gaze away from the man, and picked at the white fuzzy lining of her coat.

“Well, this is fine as is, Jamison,” she finally responded, not daring to look at the man for fear she might start staring again.

“Yea, yea, Mei,” he waved a dismissive hand as he resumed his awkward jaunt down the hall.

* * *

The two were in Junkrat’s room, sitting side by side on his small bed. Mei was honestly impressed with how the two managed to even fit on the thing, let alone be comfortable enough to not feel cramped. Mei decided to get comfy and lie down, placing her head on one of his pillows before sliding under his covers. Her coat was draped over the desk chair with the big clunky boots just beside it.

“Makin’ yerself at home I see!” Junkrat teased with a gleam in his eye as he flashed his teeth. A gold tooth caught the light as his smile spread across his lively features.

“Yes, well it is a bit chilly and I am tired,” Mei countered, feeling a bit childish with how her lip was protruding in a pout.

“I ain’t mad.” The man let loose one of his gleeful, high pitched laughs and Mei giggled along.  The junker pulled on his side of the covers from under him and pulled them over himself, joining Mei. His warm left arm was against Mei’s. The sudden closeness made Mei’s heart begin to race.

“Wow, Mie, you’re _cold_ ,” he teased with a humorous lilt.

“Oh, ha ha, very funny!” Mei replied with a roll of her eyes, suddenly feeling less nervous and more amused.

“Honest, though, you feel a little cold. Why did you take your jacket off?” Junkrat peered at her, concern written all over his features.

“Well… I was warm from dancing and moving around all night. But I guess since we settled down, I feel chilly now,” Mei explained as a slight shiver started to overtake her body.

“Ya.” Junkrat nodded in understanding. Mei was once again hyperaware of the closeness. She could feel Junkrat’s arm flex as he opened and closed a fist beside her. Then she felt the vibrations of his fingers drumming against the bed not far from her own. She could feel a slight rush of giddiness come over her in the form of a blush and a slight whoosh in her head.

Mei had always taken her job as a scientist very seriously. Her job and the duties that came along with it came first which meant always being a professional. Of course, she had always been friendly with her coworkers. But her desire to make the world a better place had squelched any ideas of seeking out something more than friendship, especially with coworkers.

Yet, here she was with Junkrat in his bed just casually relaxing as if it were a regular occurrence. Well, technically it kind of was a regular occurrence. At least it had been for almost the last month or so.

When Mei began questioning whether or not it was okay to hold Junkrat’s hand or cuddle closer, she felt her breath hitch and her mind go haywire at the thoughts. Never, in all of her years as a professional, had she allowed herself to get to this point of longing. Desperately, she took a deep, silent breath willing her nerves to calm themselves and hoping beyond hope that Junkrat hadn’t noticed her sudden panic.

Just as she was taking another deep breath, Junkrat glanced over with his vibrant face full of joy that Mei had rarely seen from another human being. He was like an explosion of light… it made sense in a weird way why his weapon of choice would be bombs and the like. The man was so very different from the people she had come in contact with and she had wondered if that alone made him more appealing. She bit at her lip, unable to return his smile.

Junkrat noticed her discomfort immediately and frowned in concern. He adjusted himself so he was turned on his side, completely facing Mei. The woman in question glanced over, her brow furrowed.

“You alright, Snowy?” the man asked in the gentlest tone he could manage. It was hard to talk in such a hushed manner when he had a penchant for being loud and obnoxious.

Mei felt her brow furrow more, the tension seeping into her body as she bit her lip harder. How could she talk about this? Was there anything to even discuss? Was she overthinking everything? Were these just fleeting emotions? And were they only just one sided? What if she decided to actually speak her thoughts… well attempt to, only to find out Junkrat had no interest in her whatsoever? That would be incredibly embarrassing! And would most definitely ruin the friendship… _right_?

“I…” she began but the words were caught in her throat and she felt prickling at the corners of her eyes. _NO, NO, NO! YOU WILL NOT CRY, MEI!_ Her mind was screaming at her just as the tears began to fall.

Junkrat saw the tears and immediately began to panic. His face contorted into various expressions before looking incredibly solemn, all of the vibrancy from earlier completely gone. Hastily, he wrapped an arm around Mei’s shoulder pulling her closer so she was crushed against his chest.

“I… really have no clue why you’re crying, Mei. But… I hope I didn’t…” Junkrat’s voice cracked. _I hope it wasn’t something I did… please stay with me._ He pleaded internally. Mei’s tears continued, her silent sobs making her body shudder against Junkrat’s. To his surprise, she had wrapped her arm around his waist, burying her face further into his bare chest. And the sobs only came harder.

“Please… talk to me, Snowy,” Junkrat begged, his face lay atop her head as she continued to cry.

“I…” she sobbed. “I… don’t…” another loud gasp followed by a hiccup. “ _Jamison_ …” her voice broke and her sobbing suddenly stopped.

“Mei?”

She loosened herself from his embrace to look up at his worried face. The embarrassment creeped up along her neck, sending a flush in its wake but her face was already read from crying.

“Jamison…” she began, her voice just a whisper. “I really think…” Silence. Junkrat was utterly still, not even taking a breath as he waited for her to finish. “I think… I might… Like you,” she finished as a fresh set of tears began. Junkrat blinked a few times, completely at a loss for how to respond.

Why in the hell would she cry over something like that? Was she embarrassed to like him?

“Uh…” Junkrat tried to say something. _Anything_. But no words would come.

“I ruined our friendship, didn’t I?” Mei sniffed, hurt written all over her face.

“What?!” Junkrat gasped, suddenly understanding why she was crying. At least, he thought he might have been.

“My feelings… they’ll ruin everything,” Mei said, her voice laden with sadness.

“ _Mei_ ,” God he hoped he said her name as sweetly as he had intended. It got her attention, though. She peered up at him with her round, puffy eyes. So, what was he supposed to say now? No… _do_? He was supposed to _do_ something.

Swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat, he licked his lips nervously. Mei could always just… _Ugh fuck it!_ He took the figurative plunge and placed a tentative kiss on Mei’s lips. It was so quick, Mei wasn’t sure if she had imagined it or not. But noticing how red Junkrat’s face had gotten confirmed that he did in fact… kiss her.

Absently, she placed her index finger against her lips as if testing the validity of her thoughts. Junkrat seemed about ready to explode with how red his face was. His body seemed to be going into some sort of weird nervous spasm too.

“Jamison,” her voice was a soft, comfortable sound.

“S-sorry…”

“What?! Don’t be!” she said quickly, trying to comfort the poor man before her. Is that why he had started fidgeting so much? Did he think he upset her? She’d show him she wasn’t upset.

She placed her hand on his side to give herself some leverage as she pulled herself closer until her nose was an inch from his. Her body quivered but there was no turning back. Mei’s eyes fluttered shut as she closed the small distance. Warm lips met her own as a jolt traveled throughout her body at the contact. Mei pulled away quickly, feeling her cheeks burn hot.

Junkrat stared owlishly at Mei before giving a small lopsided grin. The man, suddenly, gathered her in his arm, pushing her close to his chest once again. This time, she wasn’t crying but laughing. She had no clue what this meant for their relationship, but she knew that things were going to change. With a light laugh, she wrapped her arm, once again, around his waist and snuggled closer into his chest feeling the happiest she had felt in a long time. Junkrat’s chest vibrated as he hummed contentedly.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on Tumblr (http://captain-spicypants.tumblr.com/)
> 
> I had a LOT of shit happen in the last year; hence the late gift. I also have a 20-chapter long fanfiction for an entirely different fandom that I had to update recently. Since it had been nearly a year since an update was made for it. Anyways, the basic prompt of this oneshot gift was to have Junk and Mei eat ice cream together and/or have Junkrat see Mei in her Christmas skin. So, I included both cuz why the fuck not?! 
> 
> Thanks for reading! Kudos and comments are always appreciated.


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